Starship reaches key milestone in SpaceX's first post-IPO launch

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on Friday in its first test flight since the company's record-breaking stock market debut, marking another step in the development of the world's largest launch vehicle.

The 13th Starship test lifted off from Starbase, Texas, after earlier weather and technical delays, with the mission achieving several planned milestones despite issues during the booster landing, as per CNBC.

Rocket deploys satellites and reaches planned splashdowns

About two minutes after launch, the Super Heavy booster separated from the Starship spacecraft before making a controlled descent into the Gulf. SpaceX later said the booster experienced problems during its landing burn after only some of its engines reignited, resulting in what it described as a "hard splashdown."

Meanwhile, the upper-stage spacecraft continued its mission and successfully deployed 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites into orbit before making a planned soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

According to SpaceX, the spacecraft remained intact after re-entry, allowing engineers to collect valuable data on its heat shield for the first time.

Flight supports future Starlink expansion

The latest mission also marked the first in-flight test of the larger Starlink V3 satellites, which feature more powerful solar arrays and increased capacity compared with earlier versions.

SpaceX plans to use Starship to launch future generations of Starlink satellites as it continues expanding its global satellite internet network.

The company is also developing Starmind satellites, which it intends to use as orbital data centres.

Starship remains central to Moon and Mars plans

Starship is designed to be fully reusable and is expected to play a key role in future NASA lunar missions as well as SpaceX's long-term goal of sending humans to Mars.

The latest launch was the second test flight of the upgraded Starship V3 vehicle.

Industry analyst Tim Farrar said the mission demonstrated progress but noted that SpaceX still faces significant challenges before achieving rapid reusability, pointing to the booster's engine relight problems during landing.

The company had previously postponed launches because of weather conditions and technical issues before successfully completing Friday's mission.